WEST JORDAN — The loss stung Copper Hills junior center Ashley Larsen.

After the Grizzlies' 2014-15 regular season ended with a loss to American Fork in the first round of the Class 5A girls basketball state tournament, the 6-foot-1 center vowed with her teammates to do better.

They went to work, participating in offseason workouts, lifting weights three times a week and even forming an extra club team strictly with Copper Hills players to compete in some of the top tournaments on Utah's ultra-competitive summer circuit.

It wasn't always easy, but Larsen said it was needed.

"We wanted to push ourselves," she added, "and we got more girls than ever to do club ball and keep working."

Obviously, it's paid off.

The Grizzlies have opened the season on a 16-0 run with an unbeaten 7-0 mark in Region 3. They're currently ranked No. 2 in 5A behind fellow undefeated squad Layton, in the Deseret News' latest girls basketball poll.

A long, hot summer of club basketball and extra workouts has Copper Hills off to one of its best starts in school history.

It's not just winning that has surprised even some at Copper Hills High School, but the way they've done it: the Grizzlies are averaging a margin of victory of nearly 20 points per game. They're a game up on Bingham for first place in Region 3, two games up on defending 5A champion Brighton and one of three undefeated girls basketball teams in the state.

The key was also based on one change in the team's collective mindset: look for the extra pass.

Returning top scorer Shirsten Wissinger averaged 19.4 points per game for the Grizzlies in 2014-15. She's increased that average by nearly two points to 21.3 in her senior season. Still, it's not the extra scoring that has helped her team the most. It's nearly doubling her assist rate, boosting the tally from 1.0 assists per game a year ago to 2.1 assists per game this season.

"Any coach would agree that any time you get more assists than turnovers, you are giving yourself a chance to win," Copper Hills coach Ben Morley said. "That's really become our identity and has helped us win."

Copper Hills is a bit of an anomaly among high school girls basketball teams in the modern era: the Grizzlies have six players that average at least one assist, led by Mikelle Magalogo at 3.4 per game.

"We've been looking for each other on the court, sharing the ball, and that's helped our team chemistry," said Magalogo, who also averages 8.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game. "We don't care who scores. No one is trying to get their own points. It's been key to our success now."

Magalogo had a brilliant night in the Grizzlies' 50-42 win at defending 5A state champion Brighton on Jan. 14. The senior scored a season-high 19 points against the Bengals, becoming the latest in a trend of different players to step up each night.

"Every single game, somebody steps up," said Wissinger, who leads 5A in points per game. "It's surprising how it's always one person or another. Every game, somebody comes out and you aren't really sure who will step up. It's hard to scout us because we always have a ton of girls contributing for us."

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Game Night Live (Jan. 30, 2016)

High school hoops is rolling into the second half of the season, heading down the stretch toward the state playoffs.

Every team also needs a rebounder, and Larsen has taken the role on her shoulders with pride. The senior, who has already signed with Colorado School of Mines, knew early in her high school career that she could be a dominant post player, and she's grown into that role more and more each season.

"We needed someone to fight in there and cause havoc, so I made that my goal all summer," Larsen said. "I lifted weights, got a good trainer and focused on creating havoc in the key."

It also helps that the Grizzlies have one of the more active JV teams, with Morley and his staff able to divide the squad into three hyper-competitive teams every day in practice.

"I wish I could take credit for it, but we have a bunch of girls that were born that way," Morley said. "They hate to lose, even in practice, and they get after each other. This has been our best year of practices."

Wissinger hopes the extra sessions during the summer, the countless hours in the gym and the spirited practices leads to the main prize: a region and state title, just like former club teammates Lindsey Jensen at Sky View and Lindsay Johnson at Brighton last year.

"It's always been my goal," Wissinger said. "They took rings last year, and I've always wanted to win a region championship and win a state championship.

"They got it; why can't I get it? There's nothing holding me back."

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